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- Notes:
- An international orchestra composed of Allied prisoners performs under the direction of a German director in the prison camp at Wahn. The orchestra includes stringed, reed, and percussion instruments and the music stands appear to have been made in the camp. Musical performances helped improve camp morale and many musicians were internationally-renowned before the war.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph shows the "tent prison" (Zeltlager) where some Allied prisoners lived during the construction of the prison camp at Guestrow during the winter of 1914-1915. Some barracks, in the background, have already been constructed. The Germans expected the war to be short in duration and did not anticipate the incarceration of millions of Allied prisoners. As Entente POW's poured into Germany, the prisoners went to work constructing prison facilities. The assignment of prisoners to tents, especially during the winter, led to a number of protests from Allied governments.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph provides a general view of the prison camp at Crossen-an-der-Oder in 1915 at the opening of the YMCA building in this camp. The photo shows the main gate to the camp, the central watch tower, and the various buildings that composed the facility.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A German sentry stands guard next to one of the artillery pieces in the prison compound at Guestrow. The Germans designed prison camps with security in mind. By establishing artillery emplacements, the Germans could concentrate superior fire power throughout the camp in the event of a mass rebellion by the prisoners.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Muslim volunteers practice drilling in marching exercises under the direction of German NCO's in the prison compound at Zossen-Wuensdorf beside the mosque. These men volunteered to fight for the Sultan with the Turkish armies in the East against the British and the Russians.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Allied prisoners carry butchered meat on their shoulders into the camp kitchen at Ulm under the supervision of German non-commissioned officers. On the black board to the left of the door is the lunch menu planned 1 September 1915. POWs received at least one meat or fish dish every day for protein which was supposed to be the equivalent to rations given to German troops.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German non-commissioned officers carefully inspect newly-arrived packages in the Parcel Post Office in Duelmen for contraband. The traffic in illegal materials forced the Germans to dissect parcels which ruined the contents of the packages.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners of war at Goerlitz work in a decorative garden outside of their barracks under the supervision of a German non-commissioned officer. Gardening provided prisoners with a hobby to help break the monotony of prison camp life and improved the general appearance of the camp.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German officers observe a Muslim outdoor service at the prison camp at Zossen-Wuensdorf. Two iman kneel under a tent while thousands of faithful behind them pray towards Mecca. The Germans encouraged their Muslim POW's to practice their religion freely and strove to attract recruits for the Turkish Army to fight against the Allied infidels.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners of war take showers at Limburg; the ever present German guard stands in the center background. The picture is staged; the prisoners do not appear to have any soap and are modestly dressed for the photograph. However, weekly showers were important to maintain healthy conditions inside prison camps and German authorities would close showers and baths as a form of punishment for captives.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a photograph of the kitchen in the officers' prison camp at Mainz. Officers enjoyed fresh fruit and canned vegetables with their meals. Meals were prepared in the large vats to the left. Note the day's menu written on the chalk board at the foot of the pressure cooker.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- German soldiers operate seven potato peeling machines in the prison camp at Wittenberg while POW's watch. Normally POW's would assume the task of peeling potatoes by hand, but the sheer number of potatoes required for meals at large prison camps encouraged the Germans to introduce machinery to prepare potatoes and other meals.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- An aerial view part of the prison camp at Doeberitz showing many of the wooden barracks, administrative buildings, camp fence, and a large tent. The tent may be temporary and would eventually be replaced by a building constructed by the POW's.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The meat larder at the Lamsdorf prison camp is full of pork, beef, sausages, and other foodstuffs early in the war (this photograph was taken in 1915). A German cook and an Allied POW work in the storeroom in preparation for the next meal. The Allied blockade of Germany placed a heavy burden on the Germans' ability to feed prisoners of war within a year.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- British officers perform their morning exercise through callisthenics in front of a group of German guards at Torgau. The British prisoners maintained their daily military drill to the amazement of their German captors.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a general view of the four-story prison facility for officers at Heidelberg. The photograph clearly shows the three tennis courts and exercise ground within the compound. A tennis match is underway in the center court. German sentries guard the perimeter of the fence at the bottom of the photo.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Recently captured prisoners of war march through the snow, under German guard, and into captivity. The prisoners are probably Russian soldiers, but it is difficult to ascertain their nationality from their improvisioned winter attire.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners unload provisions from a train at the prison camp at Guestrow under the direction of German officers and guards. A hand truck sits on the ground in front of the provisions. To feed the large numbers of POW's in parent camps, the Germans had to ship in large quantities of provisions on a regular basis.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Allied officers enjoy a swim in the Elbe on a hot summer day under the watchful eyes of their German guards. The Germans did not take any chances during this excursion away from the prison; note the guard boat in the middle of the river to make sure that there are no long distance swimming records.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- Prisoners prepare to take a shower in a German prison camp under the supervision of German guards. To prevent the spread of vermin and disease, the Germans required POW's to take showers or baths on a regular basis. This photograph shows a typical shower facility in a prison camp.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of prisoners on a labor detachment are on the march under the supervision of German guards at Muensingen. POW's often worked outside of the prison camp on a variety of jobs to replace mobilized German labor. In some cases, labor detachments were sent on permanent detail to farms, mines, or factories.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- The camp commandant inspects the daily production of bread in the prison bakery at Quedlinburg. German officers record the production numbers and French bakers remove the freshly-baked loaves. Bread was an important part of the prisoners' diet and each prison had to produce vast amounts of bread on a daily basis.
- Date Created:
- 1918-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This photograph shows a view of the prison camp at Crossen-an-der-Oder from the central watch tower, showing the church and the site of the future YMCA building the American Association planned to construct. The POW's have already built several barracks and a church inside the compound. The photograph shows several of the camp's barracks and buildings under construction.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This is a bird's eye view of the prison camp at Zossen-Wuensdorf which showd Muslim prisoners standing in a circle, listening to the speaker standing on the platform in the middle of the compound. A group of German officers and several Turkish officers stand to the left of the speaker. This photograph may show a recruitment address to attract Muslim prisoners to volunteer to serve with the Turkish Army against the Allies.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of Allied tuberculosis patients stand outside the hospital ward in the quarantine camp at Giessen. A German sentry stands on guard duty to the left along the camp fence. War prisoners detected of communicable diseases were isolated from the general prison camp population to prevent the outbreak of epidemics.
- Date Created:
- 1916-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- This was the main entrance to the prison camp at Goettingen, which is next to the prison administration building where the commandant had his office (to the left). Some of the camp's barracks can be seen behind the sentry post.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries
- Notes:
- A group of prisoners exercise outside of their barrack with light weights at Goettingen. Calisthetics kept the men physically fit during their incarceration.
- Date Created:
- 1915-01-01T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Western Michigan University. Libraries